Deforestation - Climate Commission

Causes : Deforestation

Human activities – primarily the burning of fossil fuels, like coal and oil, and clearing of forests – are triggering the changes we can see in the global climate.

Trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. This is converted into carbon and stored in the plant’s branches, leaves, trunks, roots and in the soil. When a tree is cut down or burnt some or all of the carbon it stores is released into the air as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.

Protecting natural ecosystems and sustainably managing and re-establishing forests are important ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.